Smugglers Cove Whidbey Island

Ridin’ the rails – or more accurately the county transit bus.  Some days I ride to school and then home with the little man.  Good times.

Spring is really infecting the air.  The bulbs are up and a few are blooming.  Native species have been planted and the spring rains are soaking them in.  Mock Orange – doesn’t that sound magnificent?  We are planting for the birds, bees and creatures.  Remember the bumblebees?  Well, they nest in the ground or in a decaying log – all of which we have in abundance.  I want to try and find their nest(s), as I do not want to be surprised by them.  So, I looked up bumblebee nest and the first several connections were all about how to get rid of them.  No!  What is wrong with people?  Remind me of this conversation when the mosquitoes erupt.

The other day we found a tree frog.  Their feet are very different from a “regular” frog.  That fact was very evident when the little guy started climbing out of the bucket!  Yikes – out to the trees we took him.  I did not take a photo.  Next time.

Today might have been the best day ever.  If you live in a climate that is boring, I pity you.  If you live in a climate that has intolerable extremes, ditto.  I like weather.  I was raised in Southern California and it was dreadfully boring.  I wanted snow and hail and odd days with fog and light.

In the Pacific Northwest, when the sun peers though, it is a splendid gift from Mother Nature.  Today was such a day.  And so we spent the day outdoors planting trees, shrubs and flowers.  We don’t have a game plan for the planting area as yet, but sometimes it just doesn’t matter.  You plant.  Here’s a real treat – if you don’t like where something is planted here – you dig it up and replant it.  No harm, no foul.

In between planting, there were frogs to be found.  I found the first one and thought it was in a precarious spot.  So, I moved it to a better area.  Later, another frog started croaking in the same area as the first frog.  Oh no – had I interrupted a spring liaison?  I found frog #2 and whisked it away to be with his possible friend.

This is only interesting to me, because I have always been a bird-feeder kind of person.  Well, the bird feeder at this house has never been touched.  After listening to tales during the weekend’s gardening workshops, I realized that our bit of forest needs no help from us.  Leave the birds and critters alone.  Give them plants for nectar and shelter, but quit with the added mechanical help.

We have added more heather to the plants we purchased last year.  The bumblebees have been swarming over them.  Apparently, they need all the help they can get, so adding natural plants is the way to go.  Spring.

So much to do.  So many choices.  So little time.

Well, that’s how it feels now and then.  The house is built.  The outside gardens are still a vision.  This is the time for the genie to appear.

The man of the house spent a good part of the week planting a massive variety of trees, shrubs and flowers.  It’s such a crap shoot.  Everything he planted is native to the area, so that is a bonus.

Plants are beginning to wake up.  Bulbs are pushing through the earth.  Buds on trees are bulging.  Grasses are greening up.  Frogs and eagles are singing the songs of spring.

We have had some great rainfall.  This morning, I walked out to the “stream” and it was gurgling.  I have always wanted to live where I had a stream, the ocean, a pond or some sort of water nearby.  Well, I can check off several of those items.

Lots of things have been happening.  We are planning some dirt moving, garden building, open-space adjusting activities.

Two of our favorite people will be here to discuss concrete and dirt moving and drainage, et al.  Should we put in a concrete pad for a hot tub?  A greenhouse?  A shed?

And in the meantime, I am determined to clean up the mess left from clearing.  I walk along the driveway and all the detritus from the downed trees needs to go away.  I want to clear a few walking paths.

We have been outside quite a bit lately.  I think late winter might be one of my favorite seasons.  Warm enough to be outdoors for extended periods, and the bugs are still napping.  The sun is higher in the sky and the days are getting longer.  Today, the beach was spectacular.  We went to South Whidbey State Park and we were the only ones there.  It doesn’t get better than that.  We didn’t even take the dogs.

Two weeks until Mussel Fest.  Gardening classes are burgeoning.  There is so much to do, so much to see, so much to smell and we want to embrace it all.

So, the other night we lost power.  This is one reason we have a wood stove and luckily, it was fired up and blazing away.  The heated concrete floor would cool off at a very, very slow pace – so no worries.

The stove-top is gas – so dinner was not a problem.  I actually had some candles and more amazingly, I knew where they were – so we stuffed them into some empty cans and lit them up.  Oh, the ambiance was terrific.

The outage went on and on.  Hmmm.  We broke out the lanterns and read books.  It was all good.  But, but, what about the morning’s coffee?  Oh my – that could be serious.  So, we thought about the French press coffee maker – had we seen it since the move?  Cupboards opened and there it was!  Most excellent.  Now – how to grind the coffee beans?

Well, break out not one, but two, mortar and pestles.  Yes indeed.  One dates back to a garage sale in Bellingham in the early 80’s.  The other is a new addition from an Island thrift store.  And so, we ground the beans by candlelight on our fabulous concrete countertop.

Life is good.

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, there is a tidal chart for your perusal.  Great information if you want to go clamming or mussel gathering.  Low tides are fabulous for finding all sorts of amazing creatures.  There is so much to learn and explore!

I just found out that there is a quick link to the tidal chart and other information on the right-hand side of the opening page.  The guru rocks!

If it was up to me, the computer would have been chucked out a window years ago!

We have been away for awhile.  The blog was hacked, but the computer guru has everything fixed, patched and ready to go.

Look at that gorgeous heather.  It is blooming on the deck and it welcomed an inch or so of snow Saturday night.  Once again and probably forever, we will be amazed that plants bloom in winter.

What’s the latest with the house and property?  We look forward to a garden this spring.  We are attending a day-long Gardening Workshop next month and we will undoubtedly garner valuable information, but this time, we have land and space, water and plants ordered. Bulbs are already in the ground and some of them are poking through the dirt.  We need rain.  I cannot believe I have to say that.  The pasture grass we spread around has been long sprouted and is waiting for rain and a bit more sun and it will take off.  I want the meadow to return.

The house remains a work-in-progress.  Are they ever not?  I doubt it.  The noise at night – created by the heat-pump, has been alleviated.  We turn down the thermostat at night and turn it back up in the morning.  It takes so long to heat and re-heat the floor, that this system seems to work for the noise and not affect the overall house warmth. Thus far, a simple solution.

Furniture has been moved and moved again.  We bought a used curio cabinet for the dreaded knick-knacks.  Unpacking them has been fun.  Unpacking everything has been fun.  It is such a journey and a revelation to uncover the things we thought important so long ago.  Art has been hung, moved and re-hung.  The Turkish rug awaits a spot, as do paintings from the 70’s.  They need frames.  I bought simple molding to stain and tack on the sides.  I am waiting for the weather to be conducive to outdoor staining!  There is also a wonderful collection of Hmong needlework that we have dragged around for decades.  Those need to be framed and hung.

We are discussing guest accommodations.  Do we need to add an upstairs wall or not?  That vote is out.  How often do we have guests?  Does the area need to be reworked?  I think we might wait and see how often we have guests and have them toss their ideas into the mix.

The trails at Greenbank Farm are so enticing and so close-by.  People enjoying the view and dogs enjoying what dogs enjoy!

I just wandered around our bit of green and noticed things sprouting.  The meadow that we re-seeded and covered in straw is alive with sprouts.  The Hydrangea that has wintered outside in a pot has new sprouts.  This is a really new concept – winter spouts – spring not far behind.

The beautiful cedar tree standing on the meadow’s edge does not look well.  During initial clearing, the top of the tree was lopped off by a fallen tree.  The green seems to be agonizingly pale.  I hope the tree survives, but if not it will become a terrific home for woodpeckers and such and a wonderful post for visiting hawks….maybe even an eagle.

Recently, the frogs have started singing and the other night I heard owls.  One thing about living in such a tight house is the absence of outside noise.  That’s the noise I want to hear.  Not the internal annoyances.  We open the windows at night regardless of the temperature and then we build a fire.

At the moment, the wind is howling through the trees.  On my walk, there were lots of downed branches and I knew I shouldn’t be out without a hard hat!  I tried out my new purple BOGS in the muddy meadow and they are great.  Most excellent gift!

Lots of unpacking has been down.  The furniture and been rearranged again.  Art is up and there is more to come.  We have a collection of Hmong needlework that we need to get framed and on the walls.  Hmm, we purchased those nearly 28 years ago.  I think it’s time.  We also have some wonderful mixed media, woven and sewn pieces from Turkey and those also need to go up.  The color will be brilliant and fun.  There are other works that are waiting to go up.  A couple of them have been with us since before we were married.  Big, glorious works.  Bijou and Gary and the Quaker Oats Man – friends indeed!  I can’t wait to show them their new space!

Yes, we did.

Unpacking continues.  Slower and more calculated.  Mothballs have been banished in lieu of herbal packets, because, yes, I have bins and bins of yarn.  I know I left much of it behind, but there is still a mountain of fibre.  I wondered aloud if we had really left anything behind.  The unpacking just seems to go on and on and on.

There is a new recumbent bike that needs to be set up and used.  It will go in the “garage”, which will ultimately be a work room.  Shelving needs to happen and a large work bench running the length of one wall needs to be built.  We need a couple of windows along the north wall.  Yes, the north wall.  There’s a wood stove and we’ll use it!

Knick-knacks – they need a home.  I cringe when I see a box with that label.  I need to get cold-hearted when I unpack them, but first I need to locate some sort of display case.  Small.  Maybe invisible.  I don’t remember people because of their knick-knacks, but some of those items stir the pot of memories.

Stone soup for the soul.

Food is a necessity and the ultimate comfort. The meal pictured was phenomenal, comforting, worth the hassle and an utter delight.

I want my home to be the same.

Our home in Black Forest was like an old shoe.  Well worn, broken in, probably smelly, but oh so comfortable.  It had loads of quirks and things we wanted to change.  The possibility of refurbishing the old shoe was just too daunting.  The threat of fire was persistent.  We were done.  Time to move on.  We did.

And now we have a gleaming house; not yet a home.  I need the comfort.  I started to hang art, in hopes it would rekindle that fleeting essence of comfort.  Books are being unpacked.  Afghans and quilts and yarn.  Soothing textures.  Warmth.  Friends.

There are noise concerns.  Bothersome.  Irritating.  How did this happen?  Were we asleep at the wheel?  Was someone?